Toilet ventilator



y 1943- c. F. BRISCOE ET AL TOILET VENT ILATOR Filed March 11. 1941' a. m pm y W 9 W H J w). .7 0/0 W Patented May 25, 1943 TOILET VENTILATOR Charles F. Briscoe, Compton, and Harvey L. Graham, Taft, Calif.

Application March 11, 1941, Serial No. 382,710

7 Claims.

This invention has to do with improvements in toilet ventilators, and has for its general object to provide a ventilator attachment, or ventila'tor adaptation of required parts of the usual toilet structure, in extremely simplified, compact and practical form.

Although various forms of toilet ventilators have in the past been proposed, their practical acceptance and utility have been limited by many undesirable structural features and operating characteristics. In accordance with the invention, we have provided a ventilator system capable of incorporation, with relatively minor structural modifications, in the standard toilet, and having such features of operation and control as to render it thoroughly advantageous and practical. One of the primary means of accomplishing this object is the adaptation of the hinge structure connecting the seat, or seat and cover, to the bowl, as a suction conduit through which an air draft is communicated to the bowl beneath the rear portion of the seat. Preferably, the hinge structure also includes or operates as a valve to close communication of the air draft to the bowl in accordance with the position of .the cover, all as will hereinafter be explained in detail.

Operation of the suction fan connected to the hinge assembly, may be controlled in any suitable manner, either manually by a simple switch, or

automatically in accordance with the positions of the toilet seat and cover. As will be explained, another contemplated type of automatic control for the fan, is one in which the fan is brought into operation by the application of weight or predetermined pressure on the seat.

These generally stated objects of the invention, as well as various additional features and details, will be further understood and explained to better advantage in the description to follow. Reference is had throughout the description to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing a conventlonal toilet equipped with the present ventilator attachment and control.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the hinge assembly and attached ventilator fan.

Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 33 of Fig. 2 showing the position of the hinge-contained valve when the seat cover is closed.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing the position of the valve parts with the cover in raised position; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, showing a variational form of automatic control for the ventilator fan.

We have shown in the drawing a usual toilet which may easily be equipped with the invention, and comprising the bowl It] to which water is supplied from the usual tank or pipe H connected to the bowl by a suitable fitting I2. The seat l3 and cover I4 are pivotally attached to the rear portion l5 of the bowl by a hinge structure, generally indicated at It, and through which air is drawn from the interior of the bowl, as will presently appear. The hinge structure 16 comprises an inner tubular section E7, to opposite ends of which are attached a closed fitting l8 and an open fitting or coupling 19, which connects the interior of section ll with pipe 20 leading to a motor-driven suction fan unit 2!. The latter may be of any suitable design and construction, and is shown typically to comprise integral or attached fan and motor casings 22 and 23, the fan casing outlet 24 connecting with a pipe '25 leading to an outside toilet vent, not shown.

Section I! may be stationarily supported on the bowl in any suitable manner, as by bolts 34 formed integrally with circular flanges or foot ings 35 on the end fittings I 8 and It. The seat I3 is connected to the inner hinge section I! by a pair of brackets or arms 26 formed integrally with rings 21 engaging fittings l8 and i9, and rotatable about section H as the seat is raised or lowered. The cover 14 is similarly attached to section I! by a rotatable sleeve 28 having an integral extension 29 fastened to the under side of the seat, as illustrated. Rings 21 and 23, and the attached seat and cover, thus are rotatable individually or together about the stationary inner section I! of the hinge.

As best illustrated in Fig. 4, the air draft normally is communicated from tube I! to the interior I 0a of the bowl through a pair of registering openings 30 and 3| in the tube I7 and sleeve 28, respectively. The under-surface of the seat may be recessed at 32 to allow open communication between ports 30, 3t and the bowl l0. Preferably the seat I3 is provided with ribs 33 engaging the top surface of the bowl and extending forwardly, distances sufficient to confine the air draft through ports 30, 3| to the rear central portion of the bowl.

The ported sleeve 28 serves as a valve to close off communication of suction from the fan to the bowl when the cover (4 is closed upon the seat. Thus as illustrated in Fig. 3, when the cover I4 is closed, the sleeve opening 3| is r0- tated out of register with opening 30, causing the latter to become closed by the solid portion of the sleeve.

Operation of the fan motor 23 may be controlled in any suitable manner, as for example by a switch 36 in a circuit consisting of lead lines 3'! and 38. Alternately, or in addition to switch 3'6, operation of the motor may be controlled in accordance with the positions of the seat l3 and cover l i through a suitable arrangement of switches actuated by raising and lowering of the seat and cover. For example, the seat 13 is shown to carry a mercury switch 39 mounted for example on one of the brackets 26 and connected in series within the circuit 4!], M and 42 with a second mercury switch 43 mounted on sleeve 28, and therefore operable by movement of the cover 14. With the seat and cover in closed position, as in Fig. 1, switch d3 remains open and the motor does not operate. When the cover It is raised, switch 43 closes, starting the motor in operation.

.Fig. illustrates a variational form of fan control whereby operation of the fan is rendered responsive to the application of pressure or weight on the seat I3. Typically, the motor circuit may include leads 45 and 46 extending within one of the ribs 33 on the underside of the seat and connected to a normally open switch 41. The switch is shown to comprise a pair of contact elements 68 and 49, the latter carrying an integral projection or button as engageable with the top surface mo of the bowl. Normally, the resiliency of contact element 49 will prevent its engagement with element 48 under the weight of the seat alone, so that the fan remains out of operation. The weight of a person on the seat will bring the contact elements into engagement, starting the fan into operation.

The drawing is to be regarded merely as illustrative of the invention in certain of its typical and preferred forms, and it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made without departure from the intended scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a toilet bowl and seat, a hinge structure comprising relatively rotatable tubular sections, one within the other, connecting said seat to the bowl, said structure containing a passage communicable with the interior of the bowl and extending through one end of the hinge structure, and a suction fan connected to said end of the hinge structure and operable to produce an air draft from the bowl into and axially through said passage to the fan.

2. In combination with-a toilet bowl and seat, a hinge structure comprising relatively rotatable tubular sections, one within the other, connecting said seat to the bowl, said structure containing a passage communicable through a space beneath the rear of the seat and above the bowl with the interior of the bowl and extending through one end of the hinge structure, and a suction fan connected to said end. of the hinge structure and operable to produce an air draft from the bowl into and axially through said passage to the fan.

3. In combination with a toilet bowl and seat, a hinge structure comprising relatively rotatable tubular sections, one within the other, connecting said seat to the bowl, said structure containing a passage communicable with the interior of the bowl and extending through one end of the hinge structure, and a suction fan connected to said end of the hinge structure and operable to produce an air draft from the bowl into and axially through said passage to the fan, and valve means operable by relative rotation of said sections to close 01f said draft.

4. In combination with a toilet bOwl and seat, a hinge connecting said seat to the bowl and comprising a stationary inner tubular section and an outer rotatable sleeve section surrounding the inner section and attached to the seat, said tubular section containing a passage communicable with the interior of the bowl and extending through one end of said tubular section, and a motor-driven suction fan connected to said end of the tubular section and operable to produce an air draft from the bowl into and axially through said passage to the fan.

5. In combination with a toilet bowl and seat, a hinge connecting said seat to the bowl and comprising a stationary inner tubular section an outer rotatable sleeve section surrounding the inner section and attached to the seat, said tubular section containing a passage cornrnunicable with the interior of the bowl and extending through one end of said tubular section, and a motor-driven suction fan connected to said end of the tubular section and operable to produce an air draft from the bowl into and axially through said passage to the fan, said sections containing openings adapted to be brought into a register to place said passage in communication with the bowl and movable out of register by rotation of the sleeve section to close off such communication.

6. In combination with a toilet bowl and seat and a cover for the seat, a hinge connecting said cover and seat to the bowl and comprising a stationary inner tubular section and an outer rotatable sleeve section attached to the cover, said tubular section containing a passage comniunicable with the interior of the bowl and extending through one end of the tubular section, and a motor-driven fan connected to said end of the tubular section and operable to produce an air draft from the bowl axially through said tubular section to the fan, said hinge sections having openings normally out of register to close communication of said draft to the bowl. and adapted to be brought into register by raising the cover.

7. In combination with a toilet bowl and seat cover for the seat, a hinge structure connecting said seat and cover to the bowl and comprising an inner tubular section, a relatively rotatable outer sleeve section attached to the cover, rings attached to the cover and rotatable about said inner tubular section at opposite ends of said sleeve section, said tubular section containing a passage communicable with the interior of the bowl and extending through one end of the tubular section, and a motor driven fan connected to said end of the inner section and operable to produce an air draft axially thereihrough to the fan, said inner section and outer sleeve section of the hinge having openings normally out of register to close. communication of said draft to the bowland adapted to be brought into register by raising the cover.

CHARLES F. BRISCOE. HARVEY L. GRAHAM.' 

